What I learned in 2011

Photo from here.

I know it sounds crazy but one of the things I love most in life is change, especially change in the form of new beginnings.  That's why I get down right giddy this time of year because I welcome the chance to wipe the slate clean and start with a fresh new year, a year full of of new opportunities, adventures, and limitless possibilities.  I loved 2011.  It was arguably my favorite year yet.  I should also interject that it was also the craziest.  I finished grad school, Ryan and I got married, we went on an amazing honeymoon, and spent the first year together in our new home.  In the middle of that, my dad also received a complete liver transplant.  It's no wonder why I shrunk down to less than my high school weight and my face flared up in some kind of allergic hives for the entire month of September.  Thankfully a weekly dose of Dairy Queen Blizzards over the summer and a follow up treatment of the holidays took care of the first issue.  Time took care of the second.

In addition, 2011 was my "relationship year" where my relationship with many of my friends, family members, and even myself, went to a deeper, more meaningful place.  I worked hard to maintain my friendships especially during the craziness of school and wedding planning.  When free time becomes the rarest commodity in a person's life, it is very revealing to see how that time is spent, and who that time is spent with.  It made me appreciate the relationships I have and the people who supported me, and I mean that both literally and figuratively, through it all.

Amidst all the happiness and celebration, 2011 also taught me that life is uncertain and at times disappointing and heartbreaking.  I am not immune to this.  The past month has tested my ability to stay hopeful and trusting amidst uncertainty.  And because I did not let fear get the best of me, I am certain now more than ever that there is a greater plan unfolding for my life and for my husband's life than we ever thought was possible.  With all that said, today I'm closing the 2011 chapter (a few days late), thankful for the memories created and the lessons learned.  In doing so, I'm opening the 2012 chapter and all the memories waiting to be written and the lessons waiting to be learned.  It's going to be a good year.  Not just for me, but to anyone who chooses to embrace it as such.  Cheers!